And it shall come to pass
Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions. 29
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Acts 2:7-21 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” 13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.” Peter’s Sermon 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’
This was fulfilled in the Day of Pentecost. After Pentecost Paul brought the Gospel of Grace, given to him by Jesus, to non Jews. There was a lot of confusion between the Jews and the Gentile believers in this gospel. The group of Pharisees followers of Christ commanded the Gentiles to keep the rules of Judaism. They failed to comprehend the Gospel of Grace given to the Gentile believers. They, who by faith in Jesus alone, were granted salvation. After much discussion they realized that it was always God’s plan to take out of the Gentile nations a people for His name. After a period of time, when all those who were called by His name, Jesus will return and rebuild the tabernacle. The remaining Jews will worship Him in the truth of Jesus as their Messiah King.
Amos 9:11-12
“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the Lord who does this thing.
This Gospel of Grace was the secret hidden, until revealed to the Apostle Paul. After the age of grace He would raise up the tabernacle of David that had fallen. He would restore His covenant people. In the tribulation they will be refined in the furnace of affliction and they will recognize Jesus the Christ, whom they had rejected, as their Messiah King. He will reign forever in truth and in justice.
Romans 11:25-29 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Isaiah 42:1
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
All prophesy is fulfilled in Jesus. All man/ all God, Jesus the Christ who was from the beginning, will return to rule in justice and in truth. The mercy God offered to mankind, in the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in Him, is the ultimate gift of a loving Father. (John 3:16-18) Carla
If believers do not understand this mystery, chances are they will be wise in their own opinion, meaning they will be haughty (verse 20) and boast (verse 18). The mystery is that Israel has been temporarily and partially hardened, but God has not rejected them. All Israel does not mean that every individual in the nation will turn to the Lord. It means that the nation as a whole will be saved, just as the nation as a whole (but not every individual in it) was now rejecting the Lord. The Jews are enemies in that they reject the gospel. For the sake of the fathers refers to the promises God made to the patriarchs. Irrevocable means “not to repent.” God does not change His mind. He made promises to the patriarchs (v. 28) and He will fulfill them. The NKJV Study Bible
In this context, mystery, probably refers to three difficult issues that Paul discusses in the passage: Israel’s partial hardening, the inclusion of the Gentiles as part of God’s people, and Israel’s future role in God’s plan of salvation.
Paul hopes that the Gentile Christians will not become proud or boastful of their inclusion into the people of God. The full number of the Gentiles probably alludes to predictions that one day all nations will worship Yahweh (Isaiah 2:2–4; Zechariah 14:16–17; Matthew 28:19–20). This also could refer to the completion of the mission to reach all people with the gospel. Paul viewed his ministry to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) as integral to the fulfillment of this plan (Rom 15:24, 28).
All Israel may refer to the nation of Israel proper—whether all of Abraham’s natural descendants, or only the elect individuals within ethnic Israel. Alternatively, it could refer to Israel as symbolic of God’s elect—all who are now part of God’s people (both Jews and Gentiles). Paul’s meaning here is widely disputed. Any interpretation has far-reaching implications for the Jews and their place in God’s future plans. “All Israel” may include all who had faith like Abraham prior to Jesus’ coming, or Paul could be looking ahead to a future conversion when the entire nation of Israel accepts Jesus as Messiah. “All Israel” also could be understood as a symbolic group (of Jews and Gentiles), since Paul envisions all of God’s elect as part of a single tree (verse 17).
A quotation from Isaiah 59:20, a deliverer will come, originally refers to Yahweh, Paul seems to apply it to Christ (1 Thessalonians 1: 10). If Paul’s use of this psalm points to Christ’s second coming, then the statement that “all Israel will be saved” could refer to a future time when the entire nation accepts Jesus as Messiah.
Jacob refers to Jerusalem. Here, it might point to the heavenly Jerusalem from where Christ will return as deliverer (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
This is the covenant, is a quotations from Isaiah 59:21 (Isaiah 27:9). In the larger context of Isaiah, the covenant is mediated by the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13–53:12). Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy, acting as the intercessor between God and humanity. The sake of the fathers is a reference to the patriarchs, whom God chose to bear His promises. The gifts and the calling of God refers to privileges granted to Israel (9:4). Faithlife Study Bible
Isaiah 59:20–21
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,
“Says the LORD.“As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.”
Jeremiah 31:31–34 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD…
Deuteronomy 7:8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:15 The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day.
Isaiah 27:9
Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered;
And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin:
When he makes all the stones of the altar
Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust,
Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand
Karen Lee White’s reminder, “Unconditional love for self, heals and nurtures every aspect of our beings; it helps us face fear and hopelessness and refocus on hope, gratitude, and beauty. We may not have been prepared for these unprecedented times, but neither do we need to fall victim to them.”
This week someone wrote me to ask, "How, exactly, does one find sanctuary in the middle of what feels like nationalized craziness?" Good question.
It reminds me of Robert Capon's insight that we live like ill-taught piano students. So concerned about playing the right notes, we never hear the music.
Let’s be clear: hearing the music is not about sacrificing moral clarity or engagement or ambition. Hearing the music is about nurturing personal grounding, which gives our engagement a soul, and gives our soul a voice. An invitation to live fully into this moment, and an invitation to cultivate authenticity, integrity and transparency. A calling to be our best selves through silence and song, community and ritual, listening and compassionate presence.
And let us take this as an invitation to us all—to be protectors and guardians. To those who are marginalized, to affirm the dignity of all human beings and to welcome the stranger.
We are in a world where we can choose, dominance, power and conquest; Or, in the words of Pope Leo IV, to live “embracing a more inclusive church, one that reaches out to those on the margins.” A place of grace and healing restoration.
The Pope also repeatedly cited his predecessor Francis' mission, committing to making the Catholic Church more inclusive and one that looks out for the "least and rejected."
David Brooks’ comment gave me a good moment of pause; “I found it incredibly moving to watch him give his first remarks as Pope. In part because here I was, watching an American on the world stage being a decent human being.” Sabbath Moments
Quote for our week… “I had a choice: I could either let the darkness of the world swallow me, or I could do what I could to help make the world a little bit brighter.” Haruki Murakami
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